At the Meinau stadium in Strasbourg,
It is therefore possible to win a match at will. Okay, the performance of Strasbourg, Friday night against Metz (3-0), should not be reduced to that. But still: what aggressiveness, what commitment, what energy!
Their determination was obvious. You should have seen Dimitri Liénard do sprints in his lane, tear himself away, crochet along the sideline, tackle not always very cleanly. But also haranguing the public whenever they had the opportunity, as if possessed. It was also necessary to see Ludovic Ajorque pressing, putting away, sprinting over 50 meters and above all never balking at the slightest effort where some attackers walk by replacing themselves.
And then their partners too, all in the same vein of this permanent sacrifice. Yes, this Racing was beautiful to see playing in the Eastern Derby. All the more so in a Meinau of great evenings, at the height of its reputation and in total levitation in front of the spectacle offered by its darlings.
La Meinau ready for the derby between the @RCSA and the @FCMetz ! #RCSAFCM # Ligue1UberEats pic.twitter.com/xZil2x9ezO
– 20 Minutes Strasbourg (@ 20minutesstras) September 17, 2021
Julien Stéphan’s paw? The rest will tell, but many aspects of the game dear to the new Alsatian coach made the difference against the Lorraine, completely stifled. So there was this higher commitment, but not only. The famous “intensity” so sought after also weighed, especially in the first period when the score was not established. From the 4th minute, captain Liénard tore himself away to get a penalty, then transformed by Ajorque (1-0, 6th).
“It’s revealing of what the players do in practice. They have a desire to commit to each session, ”welcomed the technician, of course delighted with the turn of this derby. “We played it well, played very well. We were very well organized and efficient. “Almost clinical even since Habib Diallo knocked out his old team in a quarter of an hour (2-0, 26th then 3-0, 40th) and made forget the duel missed by Thomasson (8th).
” The atmosphere ? It was extraordinary “
Where Racing had so far missed too many opportunities, as again last Sunday in Lyon (1-3), this time it was successful. And could then, thanks to technical mastery and good management of weak and strong times, calmly manage his business. Maybe a little too much at times. “In second, we should have been able to better control things, noted Julien Stéphan. A little more accuracy would have helped us. We did not always respect the game. “
But Strasbourg did not concede a goal in the end. A first this season. “Between players, we said to start by not conceding a goal,” reveals Gerzino Nyamsi, who celebrated his first tenure with a club joined ten days ago. Unforgettable. ” The atmosphere ? It was extraordinary. Frankly magnificent. I had been told about it, I see. I don’t regret having come here, never in my life! The Messins, yes.